Deb Eck, a JCC alumna and an Adjunct Instructor of Art at our Jamestown campus, will be honored on June 10 with the 2014 YWCA Woman of Achievement Award in Arts and Culture! Deb is a 2001 alumna, having earned her A.S. in Fine Arts: Studio Arts at SUNY JCC's Jamestown campus.

The Jamestown YWCA presents the Women of Achievement awards to women who represent outstanding achievement in their field. Awards are presented to women who exhibit leadership skills, are a role model and mentor to other women, advocate for positive social change, give back to the community, and who demonstrate a commitment to the YWCA's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.

On May 16 and 17, 2014, JCC held Commencement exercises at its campuses in Cattaraugus County and Jamestown. The ceremony honored 571 spring 2014 graduates, 201 December 2013 graduates and 63 summer 2013 graduates. To watch the full Commencement ceremony, click here!

After earning her degree from JCC, Mrs. Phillips worked for 25 years as the vice president of the family-owned ACME Appliance Store. But she is best known for her life’s work as a tireless community volunteer.

Since 1999, Mrs. Phillips has served as a member of the JCC Foundation Board of Directors. She was the co-chairman of the JCC Foundation’s “Funding Excellence Campaign,” which raised nearly $12 million in support of College projects that included the new Science Center. She remains a longtime member of the JCC Alumni Association Board of Directors for the Jamestown Campus; a member of the WCA Hospital Foundation Board of Directors; a member of the WCA Hospital Auxiliary; and a member of the Jamestown Concert Association Board of Directors.

Mrs. Phillips has long been a regular volunteer for the Arts Council of Chautauqua County and the Reg Lenna Civic Center, where she served as the chairman of the House Committee for the Youth Series Educational Program. She has also been an active volunteer for the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and has served on the organization’s scholarships and grants committees.

Since 1991, Mrs. Phillips has been an active member of Crèche, an all-volunteer non-profit organization devoted to providing for the basic needs of children, newborns through age 18, who reside in the greater Jamestown area. She has served on its Board of Directors and has been the chairman of its publicity, membership, hospital investigating, and community services committees.

She has also served as co-chairman of the George Bataitis Open Golf Tournament committee, which raises critical funding in support of athletics at JCC.

In 2001, Mrs. Phillips was honored for her devotion to the community when she was named Woman of the Year by the Interclub Council of Jamestown, a consortium of clubs and service organizations from Jamestown and Chautauqua County.

Muzza earned an Associate of Arts degree in Social Sciences from JCC and is currently the interim experiential learning coordinator for JCC. He is perhaps best known for his 35-year career with Jamestown Public Schools.

Muzza began his career with the school system as a work-study coordinator at Jamestown High School before becoming the Dean of Students at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and, later, its assistant principal. He was the principal at C.C. Ring Elementary School for 14 years before returning to Lincoln School as its principal for eight years.

In 1999, Muzza was the recipient of the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Service to Youth Award. In 1990, he was recognized by the Chautauqua Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council in recognition of his work in alcohol and substance abuse prevention education.

Muzza is active in the community. He currently serves as the vice president of the Babe Ruth World Series Committee; is a volunteer driver for international students attending JCC; is the treasurer for the Holy Name Society at Holy Apostles Church; and serves on the Community Planning Committee for Jamestown Public Schools.

After graduating from JCC, Muzza went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education from SUNY New Paltz in 1975. He earned a Master of Science degree in Education from SUNY Fredonia in 1983 and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Administration there in 1986.

Dr. Joshua T. Harris, Class of 1998, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award during Commencement exercises on our Jamestown Campus on Saturday, May 17! Dr. Harris will also deliver the keynote Commencement address.

Dr. Harris graduated from Jamestown Community College in 1998 with a degree in Social Sciences and a concentration in political science. He is currently the policy director for The Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, DC-based think tank advancing responsible data use and consumer privacy.

As a student at JCC, Dr. Harris participated in the SUNY Model European Union and the International Negotiation Modules Project. That experience led him to a storied career in economic policy, during which he worked as an international trade specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Technology and Electronic Commerce.

In 2012, he received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the highest award offered by the Department, for his work in this area. Dr. Harris also represented the U.S. Department of Commerce in international groups that included the Organization of American States and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2007, he prepared briefing papers for President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Harris graduated with honors from SUNY Geneseo in May 2000, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In May 2004, he earned his juris doctor from the George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Also that year, he was selected to the White House’s Presidential Management Fellowship program and worked in the Trade Information Center.

Brenda Freeman Sawyer, Class of 1993, will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award during Commencement exercises on our Cattaraugus County Campus in Olean on Friday, May 16. The Distinguished Alumnus Award, presented annually, is the highest honor given by the JCC Alumni Association. The award honors those who have typified the college’s tradition of excellence and brought credit to the college through personal accomplishment, professional achievement, or humanitarian service.

Mrs. Freeman Sawyer earned an Associate of Science degree in Math and Science and is a Physician Assistant for the Olean Medical Group. There, she works in endocrinology to treat and diagnose a variety of conditions, including thyroid disorders, hypoglycemic disorders, and other disorders of the endocrine system. Her Master’s thesis focused upon how a secretion from the heart’s ventricles, produced in response to excessive stretching of heart muscle cells, can be used to predict clinical outcome in patients who come to an emergency room with heart rhythm disorders. As a Physician Assistant, Mrs. Freeman Sawyer was instrumental in the opening of Olean General Hospital’s campus in Port Allegany.

Mrs. Freeman Sawyer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Science and Biology from Alfred University in May 1995 and graduated from Lock Haven University’s Physician Assistant Program in May 2009 with a Master of Health Science degree.

Joshua T. Harris, J.D., Class of 1998, will be the keynote speaker for JCC 's 2014 Commencement exercises on May 16 and 17.

Dr. Harris, the policy director for The Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, DC-based think tank advancing responsible data use and consumer privacy, graduated from JCC with a degree in social sciences and a concentration in political science. He went on to graduate with honors from SUNY Geneseo in 2000, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. In 2004, he earned a juris doctor degree from the George Washington University School of Law and was selected for the White House’s Presidential Management Fellowship program.

As a student at JCC, Dr. Harris participated in the SUNY Model European Union and International Negotiation Modules Project. Those experiences led him to a career in economic policy, during which he worked as an international trade specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce in the International Trade Administration’s Office of Technology and Electronic Commerce developing and implementing the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Cross Border Privacy Rules System.

In 2012, he received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the highest award offered by the department, for his work. Dr. Harris also represented the U.S. Department of Commerce in international groups that included the Organization of American States and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The JCC Alumni Association, Jamestown Campus, was proud to sponsor the Best of Show Award for the Weeks Gallery's 2014 Juried Student Art & Design Exhibition! Leasen Robinson, '00, the Alumni Association Vice Chair, presented the award and a check for $100 to Brianna Caskey at the Exhibition's opening reception on April 24. Brianna's work was "Maya Likes This A Lot," an oil on canvas paper. To see a photo, click here.

The Student Art & Design Exhibition will run through May 8, 2014 at the Weeks Gallery on the second floor of the Arts & Sciences Building, Jamestown campus.

Debra Eck earned a Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Studio Arts from JCC in 2001. And now she's coordinating "Colonize," an exhibition featuring artists from across the United Kingdom -- many of whom are coming to Jamestown to present during the exhibition!

The opening Reception is Friday, April 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 3rd On 3rd Gallery, located at 116 East Third Street in Jamestown on the 3rd floor of The Reg Lenna Center For The Arts. The exhibition will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through April 25. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, click here.